Two-year-old horses. Predator and Dżerald versus imported horses
The novelty in competition among two-year-olds was holding as many as seven highly subsidized (PLN 41,125) races for Trial Awards, designed exclusively for the Polish-bred horses. Most winners performed far worse later in the season, however, two stallions joined the age group leaders for good – Dżerald (Roulette-Dżamajka) and Predator (Ecosse-Palixodia). They successfully fought with the foreign-bred riding horses and they can play an important role in the next season, as the horses imported from the West mature early.
Skarb: Dżerald (jockey A. Turgaev)
After successful Trail race, Dżerald, trained by Maciej Jodłowski, also won the Skarb Award (ahead of German Dolomiti) and was fourth in the race for the Award of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. The trainer decided that he would not start in the race for the Mokotów Award. In turn, Predator, the winner of the last Trial, prepared by Maciej Janikowski, was then third in racing for the Awards of Dakota, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mokotów, and he ended the season with a victory in the race for the Neman Award. He demonstrated bravery and class of his older brother Pillar and who knows, maybe he will have more luck than his brother at the age of three. Other Trial races: Hotandspicy (later he did not manage to cope with the leaders), Dżordżina (injury), Benjo (without success), Charbinger (fourth in the race for the Skarb Award) and Kora (fourth in the race for the Cardea Award).
Neman: Predator (M. Brezina)
Most prizes were gained by imported horses of Konstantin Zgara, with the American Atlant (Artie Schiller-Tippity Witch) at the forefront. After an unlucky defeat in his debut (he lost much at the start), trained by Andrzej Walicki racing stallion won the Award of Dakota and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, becoming number one in the age group. He became a strong favourite in the competition of stallions for the Mokotów Award. There was, however, one of the biggest sensations of the season. Atlant, struggling along the whole straight line, became defeated by a beautifully built Italian Sopran Tamo (Johnny Red Kerr-Tamora), which previously had only won poorly participated race for Group II. So far, this has been the biggest success of trainer Kazimierz Rogowski in his entire career. The two-year old horse, representing his stable, became a winter favourite for the Derby.
Mokotów: Sopran Tamo (jockey candidate A. Kabardov)
The first outside-group race of the season, for the Dorpata Award, was won by the British Avrora (Selkrik-Antrim Rose), also owned by Zgara and trained by Walicki. Later, she gave an excellent performance in MR and RW, giving way only to Atlant. However, she was not ale to take the role of favourite in the race for the Efforta Award, in which she was replaced by her stablemate, Irish Greek Sphere (High Chaparral-Night Sphere). There is also German Dolomiti (Lord of England-Dark Angel), trained by Tomasz Kluczyński, which should be mentioned with honours due to her solid attitude. Apart from one victory, she took second places in such races as for the Award of Skarb, Cardea, Efforta and Neman.
The two-year-old horses prepared in Podbiela (50 km from Warsaw) by Adam Warzyk also performed perfectly. The German Rosalka (Tertullian-Rimera), British Zielona Herbatka (Azamour-Silk Road), Irish Jagiellonia (Jeremy-Infozoid) and very promising French Modraszek (Dr Fong-Model View) gained two wins each. In turn, the Polish Polemos (Fly to the Stars-Palafitta) fought bravely in the race for the Neman Award (was third) after his victory in Group II.
We will see how the balance of strength will change in the coming winter. The horses which did not stand out previously join the top horses virtually every year. Such is the case of most recent Derby winners: Rutena (triumph in the Derby was his first victory), Sorosa, hardly expected mares Infamia and Natalie of Budysin, as well as Patronus, which won only once at the age of two years.
Piechur
